Latest update

The Board is pleased to announce that a payment of 125p per share, representing the regular annual distribution for the year ended 31 December 2020 will be accelerated from early July to be paid on 26 March 2021 as an interim dividend. The record date for this payment is 12 March 2021, the ex-dividend date is 11 March 2021.

The schedule of payments made or planned to be made under the Capital Return Programme is as follows:

^ Payment subject to continual review by the Board.

▲ Paid by a B/C Share Issue.

‡ Paid as an Interim Dividend.

Ω Paid as a Final Dividend.

* Covid-19 - dividend cancellation and postponement - due to the major social and economic disruption caused by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, after careful assessment of the capital needs of the business, the Board (i) cancelled the 125p per share interim dividend that was scheduled to be paid on 2 April 2020 and (ii) postponed the payment of the final dividend for the 2019 financial year of 110p per share that was scheduled to be paid on 6 July 2020. During the second half of 2020 the Board continued to assess the ability of the Company to make distributions to its shareholders. Reflecting the continued good progress made by the business, a dividend of 40p per share was paid on 14 September 2020 and a further dividend of 70p per share was paid on 14 December 2020. These two distributions fulfilled the payment of the final dividend of 110p per share for the year ended 31 December 2019 which had previously been postponed.

Record dates and payment dates for dividends recently paid to shareholders: